My Cynical Trialshttps://thefirstray.wordpress.com
Cynically tested!Tue, 20 Mar 2018 01:57:56 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngMy Cynical Trialshttps://thefirstray.wordpress.com
My Amritsar Diary (Conclusion) – Harmandar Sahibjihttps://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/03/06/my-amritsar-diary-conclusion-harmandar-sahibji/
https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/03/06/my-amritsar-diary-conclusion-harmandar-sahibji/#commentsTue, 06 Mar 2018 13:00:26 +0000http://thefirstray.wordpress.com/?p=1514I believe in the concept of ‘the calling’. There are places which will ‘call you’ when the time is ripe to visit them. My desire since long to visit the Golden Temple was fulfilled recently and when the calling is strong, the universe conspires to make it happen.

I will never be able to forget the first sight of the Golden Temple (Harmandar Sahib). It is difficult to explain in words

as I stood on the steps taking in the beauty, peace and blessings. It is said that, at the sight of this temple pessimistic, broken and desolate hearts start feeling refreshed and renewed. I had brought an entire shopping cart of such feelings with me; they dissolved somewhere in the temple precincts. The approach to the temple from the outside is pretty dramatic. The first sight is the lovely temple and then you begin stepping down (quite symbolic) to get the blessings of Harmandar Sahibji. I could not take my eyes off this beautiful temple even when I was walking along the circumvent. The air thick with spirituality, I went through a gamut of emotions from elation to being overwhelmed to feeling at peace again.

The bridge to visit the temple across the Amrit Sagar was full of people. What shocked the Mumbaikar in me was that there was NO jostling or pushing at all! Everyone waited patiently for the line to move forward. All the while beautiful hymns played on. I did see a lot of people pull out their phones to take pictures, selfies or to video chat with their family back home and show them the splendor of this place. Not once did I feel the need to click pictures as I was just too busy soaking in the beauty and the calmness this place. On getting closer to the entrance of the mandar, I was choking with emotions. When I got there, I thanked him for having me there and allowing me to spend that much time with him. Prayed for my near and dear ones, Oh I felt blessed! On the way out, the Karah prasad given tasted simply divine!

I was back at the temple the next day in time for the Guru ka langar which is an experience in itself. The temple feeds around 100,000 people everyday! This is the world’s largest community kitchen. The building where they cook and feed people seemed un

der renovation which did cause a little chaos in getting into the place. But the organization was impressive. It was like an assembly line, one gives you a plate, another spoon, then another bowl and it goes on. The hall in which I was ushered was completely full. Being the ‘city boy’ it did overwhelm me quite a bit as I looked for that corner seat where I could eat quietly. In a place so pure I am sure my thoughts were heard across the entire temple area. Soon one of the volunteers told me to go to another room as this one was quite crowded.

When I went there I noticed that there were only 8-10 people and they had almost finished their food. The person in charge of that room told me that it would take 10 mins since they had not started service there, so I said I had no issues waiting there at all. To my surprise he quietly walked out of the room and came along with the food servers! The whole experience was quite overwhelming for me. There is a feeling of ‘sewa’ (to take care of) there, that no one batted an eyelid to go and serve just one person in another room. Here I was in a huge hall being served all alone! An unsaid rule is to take only what you can finish and not waste. Though not much of a foodie I can be greedy with good food at times. But here, the two rotis along with black daal and kheer made me feel so good. The food was simple but satisfying.

Post the soul-satisfying lunch I was just loitering around the are

a when my eyes fell on a sign which said Temple Museum. Off I went in that direction. The place was under renovation but there was enough to see. The paintings depicting the lives of the gurus were beautiful, though interestingly many of them had been recently repainted. Since war and struggle was an integral part of their lives there were quite a few paintings on atrocities as well the battle scenes. The ones depicting the atrocities by the Mughal kings on the followers of this faith were grotesque and cringe worthy.

I visited the temple every night. It was just so much more beautiful at that time. I am sure a peddler of words will be able to describe it better. Whoever has managed the lighting of this place deserves a kudos. The reflection of the rippling water on the Golden Harmandar just adds to the beauty of the place.

I was fortunate enough to witness the “Palkhi” ceremony from close quarters (again, underlining my belief that I was ‘called’ there and blessed in multiple ways). The Granth sahib is taken out with so much love and pomp from the sacred place into a golden palkhi that it is a surreal experience. The Granth sahib is taken to its resting place for the night in the Akal Takht around 10:00pm. Towards 3:00 am again it is transferred back to the Harmandar. This was one ceremony I did miss.

This place is is nurtured with the principle of “Sewa”. There are hundreds of volunteers who work 24/7 to keep the sanctity of this place. You can help in whichever capacity you want – clean the toilets, manage the shoes, help in the langar kitchen, sweep the floors of the circumvent and lots more ways that even I do not know of yet. I was too busy playing tourist to do the Sewa this time, but as we say in Mumbaiya lingo – Next time pakka!

The walk to the mandar is lovely with clean paved roads only allowing pedestrians. The classic street lamps have Bose speakers (I kid you not!) streaming the lovely hymns being sung at the temple. The whole heritage walk starts from behind the partition museum and goes past Jallianwalla Bagh straight to the temple. There are shops selling their wares on both the sides. I could not help but notice that even the sign boards used for all the shops along this heritage walk have a consistent design and font. Everything about this place was so well thought out and orderly.

I have finally found my annual pilgrimage place. The peace and happiness I experienced in the Harmandar precinct was something I have never felt before in any other place of worship!

As my dearest friend JS would say,” Thank you babaji!” for calling me to your abode.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

More information on the temple, you can visit their website – click here

For the first two parts of my Amritsar Diary, click on the links below:

]]>https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/03/06/my-amritsar-diary-conclusion-harmandar-sahibji/feed/2Golden_TemplenishbhagatGolden_Temple_Meim-langar.jpgCentral-Sikh-Museum-Golden-Temple-Amritsar-001Golden_Temple_Palkhi25Asr-Heritage-Walk-in-Amritsar-40-1024x682Spare me the colour, I don’t play Holi!https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/spare-me-the-colour-i-dont-play-holi/
https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/spare-me-the-colour-i-dont-play-holi/#commentsThu, 01 Mar 2018 14:31:16 +0000http://thefirstray.wordpress.com/?p=1540One of the most popular festivals of India is back! This is the time when most of the indians get busy throwing “Happy Holi” gifs, and memes on their whatsapp groups just like they throw coloured powder, water and (as per the latest news) semen filled balloons on each other! The excessive cajoling and forcing to play Holi gets to me. Oh! You don’t play Holi? how can you not! Let me dunk you in a pool of water so dirty that it breeds mosquitoes! holi hai bhai holi hai! Its sheer ‘Holi’ganism.

I am not sure if this festival was always like this. I do have childhood memories of playing Holi with my friends and being one of those kids who threw the water balloons at random people walking on the road. But somewhere in the late 1980’s, when there were lots of ruffians moving about our streets, an incident ruined Holi for me.

We had been up to our usual mischief of getting our bucketful of balloons and throwing them at random people. I don’t recollect what had happened then but a few of these drunk ruffians landed up outside my house with swords in their hands. I can still picture the whole scene – Me looking down from the terrace of the neighbouring building, while my dad standing calmly in front of these ‘Holi’-goons and talking to them. He managed to calm them and they walked away. But the fear, the guilt that I had put my father at risk had sown the seeds of dislike for this festival.

It is not that I have not played Holi at all post that incident, but I always did my best to hide behind it. I hated the gulaal, oil paints and the other crap people threw at each other. It gets to a grotesque level of coloring. I fail to see the ‘fun’ there! To make it worse, most people are drunk – either on bhang or other forms of alcohol which kills the leftover sensible cells in their brains.

My last memory of ‘playing’ Holi was a few years ago. Memories of that day are painful. To celebrate that holi day was one of the ways I could salvage an important relationship which was crumbling. To make matters worse, it was at a place I disliked. So you can imagine my discomfort – not my favorite festival nor am spending it with people who I liked much. But I had resigned to the fact that I had to go through this ordeal if I had to mend the broken.

If I say I was molested there, it would be an understatement and I am not joking here. I just stood there while I was plied with colour all over my body and if that was not enough a gentleman who preferred to address himself as “Le Ravan” on social media (An interesting creature but will write about him someday when I have less murderous thoughts) picked out a fistful of colour and put his hands in my pants and applied the colour all around my private parts! It was disgusting! The other jokers there including the relationship in question, somehow saw a funny side to it. I stood there simmering in anger bearing this humiliation and hoping all the while that may be these splashes of cheap color will help fill the relationship chasm. But it wasn’t to be, instead the colour dried, caked and left untreatable scars.

So now that I have documented why I don’t really look forward to this festival, it will be easier to just forward this blog link to anyone who asks me why I don’t play Holi.

I have nothing against the festival but let us have fun responsibly by using less water, herbal colours and real feelings. These festivals are meant to bring relationships together. This festival has beautiful origins. Let us abide by them for the next generation to remember this as a festival of love!

PS: The views and experiences are my own and not meant to offend anyone. But, if you are still offended then all I have to say to you is – Bura na mano Holi hai!!

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]]>https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/spare-me-the-colour-i-dont-play-holi/feed/5Happy-Holi-Colours-Png-By-PicsartAllPng-2nishbhagatMy Amritsar Diary (Part 2) – Gobindgarh Forthttps://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/my-amritsar-diary-part-2-gobindgarh-fort/
https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/my-amritsar-diary-part-2-gobindgarh-fort/#commentsTue, 27 Feb 2018 13:00:54 +0000http://thefirstray.wordpress.com/?p=1505I have been an avid reader of history since childhood. Every time I travel somewhere and the word ‘fort’ comes up it piques my interest and becomes a ‘must do’ on my list. Each fort has tons of stories locked up in them, sometimes haunting, sometimes tragic.

I had never heard of Gobindgarh. It came up on a list of tourist attractions in Amritsar. This fort was built in the 18th century by a local chieftain. When Ranjitsinghji conquered it in the 19th century, he named it Gobindgarh after Guru Gobind Singh. The fort was supposed to be the first line of defense for the city. It was not a fort where the Maharaja stayed but was used as a place where the troops were garrisoned. Post Ranjitsingh’s demise this fort was occupied by the British troops who made quite a few modifications to this fort as per their requirements. Interestingly this Fort had a secret tunnel which reached Lahore directly, guess it would be one of the older secrets buried with time.

For the tourist, Gobindgarh Fort offers many attractions the chief among them being: the Sher-e-Punjab and the Whispering Walls shows. Just these two are worth visiting the fort for. The fort precincts also house a War museum which overlooks open grounds. A stage is set there to showcase the traditional folk dances. Just near this central stage stands the replica of the Zam Zama cannon which is so well made that it looks real. This cannon is considered to be one of the biggest guns made in the subcontinent in those times. The original one, a veteran of many wars, resides in Lahore.

Towards the corner of these grounds is Toshakhana, (Royal treasury), a place where Ranjit Singh is said to have kept his treasures including the famous Kohi-i-noor. Currently it houses a collection of coins from that era. The Haat bazaar looked extremely dead with most shops having their shutters down. Guess they must be coming only on certain days. The Mela section also seemed sparse. They do have camels and horse rides for the visitors plus a few usual games played in fairs. For a historical place like this there is just so much scope for interactive activities to be incorporated. For example – there could be a digital kiosk where one can be digitally dressed like a Sikh warrior, click a picture and get it emailed or shared on their social media profile. Attractions such as these will help in increasing the global popularity of this fort as a tourist destination.

The Sher-e-punjab show is a 7D show of about 25 mins which takes you through the life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. All the ‘D’s are weaved well in to the story-telling. The script is tight and moves swiftly, hardly giving you any time to ponder. Though some missing pieces do stick. I wish they had paid attention to even the smaller details. For example, When Ranjit Singh is attacking Amritsar, there is a woman at the helm of the city fighting against him. There is no mention of who she was nor what happens to her when she loses.

The graphics and motions are in sync but not consistently. Considering this is being touted as a tourist destination, the introduction to the show is only in Punjabi. They could have at least spoken in Hindi and/or English. The voice-over of the documentary was in Punjabi but thankfully had English sub-titles. But what about guests who may not understand Punjabi nor can read English? Their experience is then restricted to seeing what was happening on the screen and feeling what was happening on the seats!

This presentation is followed by a totally unrelated ‘complimentary’ film about a kid and a cat flying to the school. For me this was a total WTF moment! It had nothing to do with the overall theme of the fort and stuck out like a sore thumb. The Sher-e-Punjab show ended with a Billi-da-School show! My recommendation would be to take this off – the quicker the better.

The Whispering Walls (Kanda Boldiyan Ne) is the fort’s autobiography with multimedia sound, light and lasers. It is a very good presentation, well scripted and executed. The projections on the fort showing it in its glory, later dilapidated and again restored feel so real. The show takes us through the key events through the time line of the Fort, oscillating between what occurred within the Fort to what happened in Amritsar, like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The high point was the 3D projection of General Dyer – so incredibly life like. Towards the end, the independence celebrations are tastefully done. It lifts your spirits, and you feel the pride of being an Indian. They have two shows of 20 mins each. One at 7:00 pm in Punjabi and the other at 8:00 pm in English.

The fort opened to the public in early 2017 and hence it can be considered to be under development. I do hope they will include many more relevant and interactive features which will provide the visitors an immersive experience. Even with the available attractions it is worth taking time out and visiting Gobindgarh fort.

]]>https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/my-amritsar-diary-part-2-gobindgarh-fort/feed/2fortnishbhagatfortfood-haatmaxresdefaultGobindgard_fortMy Amritsar Diary (Part 1) – The Partition Museumhttps://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/02/21/my-amritsar-diary-part-1-the-partition-museum/
https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/02/21/my-amritsar-diary-part-1-the-partition-museum/#commentsWed, 21 Feb 2018 14:00:23 +0000http://thefirstray.wordpress.com/?p=1496Most countries have kept the memories of such tragedies alive by creating museums, which bring out the heart wrenching stories and leave an indelible mark on your heart. We have such a museum in India called the Partition Museum.

Set up by the The Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust (TAACHT), it started in Oct 2016 in Amritsar, Punjab. This is the world’s only museum as yet on one of the most painful and bloody migrations known in human history. Two nations, India and Pakistan were carved out of what was considered British India, which resulted in around 18 million people losing their homes and up to 2 million people, their lives.

It is fitting that the museum is housed in Amritsar as this place bore the brunt of the riots as a consequence of these mass migrations. It is said that post independence this city actually saw a decrease in its population for over two decades due to the devastation this event caused. There is a lot of literature available on this dreadful event and hence I will focus this blog on the museum experience instead. There are 15 sections across two floors housed in a heritage building. It starts from one about Amritsar and then takes the narrative forward from the freedom struggle to the partition and its devastation and how finally, people rebuilt their lives. Each section has audio/video stories supported by artifacts.

The section on ‘Boundaries’ intrigued me the most. The callousness with which the entire project of drawing the lines of the two new nations was undertaken is shocking. Yes, there were lots of political games being played at the back end but to give someone only six weeks to draw out lines in a

place he has never been to and only seen in maps is unpardonable. It was interesting to note how both the sides negotiated on whether Lahore should be a part of India or Pakistan. Finally it became a part of Pakistan as it would have been left without any major city! To me this was a classic project management case study where on paper / negotiating table, this transfer would have made sense, but the ground reality was bloodier. Radcliffe, the chairman of the Boundary Committee was left living with the guilt of having the blood of millions on his hand while the actual perpetrators of this crime went ‘home’ as heroes. Neither giving a thought to the culture of the places, How can anyone divide culture? There was just so much of it there in terms of familial ties, shared language, cuisines and suddenly a line drawn in blood tore it apart.

As you move forward

you head to the most chilling part of the museum, sections called Migrations, Divisions (2 sections) and Refuge. The use of artifacts, videos, installations and announcements make it a surreal experience. These three sections are to be experienced as whatever has to be written about this horrific event is already there. Most of the artifacts found here have been generously donated by the families of people who went through these ordeals. There are things like letters, pictures, clothes, lunch boxes, caskets and a lot more. The announcements of train timings and those for food and water in the camp over speakers sent shivers down my spine.

Fittingly, the last section is called hope as it focuses on stories of people who looked at the adversities eye to eye and soared high to become flying sikhs, poets, industrialists and traders. The highlight for me in this section is the video clip by Gulzar, the famous poet and lyricist. He speaks about this own experience of the partition and goes on to recite two poems penned by him, one of them being “Dastak” which is a well-known composition of his. His recitation of the poems left me teary eyed. Such a heavy subject expressed in such a simplistic manner!

The only down side of this place were the power failures, these hampered the audio video aspects which are very crucial to the overall museum experience. It was surprising that they did not even have back-up generators for this place. The management need to get their act together on this one. Then even if they charge INR 50 instead of the current measly INR 10, it will be worth the value.

Towards the end there is a beautiful installation of a tree where you

can leave your feedback for the museum on a leaf, which is then strung on the branch. It was heartening to see the tree flourishing. This place surely deserves to be in the top three places to visit in Amritsar.

I would urge everyone, especially Indians to visit this place. The partition was a very painful event for independent India and we all are who we are, because this event did touch our lives in someway or the other. Let us also give credit where it is due and be proud of our countrymen who were resilient enough to see this event through and get us to where we are in the world today!

]]>https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/02/21/my-amritsar-diary-part-1-the-partition-museum/feed/4nishbhagatPartition_museumSawPM1-e151362940372059302554Padma…What?https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/padma-what/
https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/padma-what/#respondMon, 29 Jan 2018 16:00:22 +0000http://thefirstray.wordpress.com/?p=1466Since childhood I have been an avid reader of Indian mythology and history and was a huge fan of the Amar Chitra Katha comics. I remember reading the story of Rani Padmini, the queen of Chittor who chose to commit Jauhar (honor mass suicide by women) rather than succumb to the invader Khilji’s hoardes. So when the movie was announced I knew the story-line.

As the production of the movie continued so did the controversies, such that everyone was offended about something related to the film directly or indirectly. It felt like along with Rani Padmini (Padmavati), common sense and logic too had committed Jauhar!

So, since being offended is important in the context of this movie, as a part of the review I have decided to put up a long list of things that have offended me.

These are surely not in any particular order of offence:

The politics around this movie: For a supposedly fictional tale, the scale of politics going around this movie was flabbergasting! If this is any indication of how things are going to be then I am really worried about the future of creativity in this country. Someone will always be offended by something. This staged mob violence has set a horrible precedence. What makes these events even stupider is that there was nothing which seemed offensive to the Rajput honour at all in this movie! In fact there is an overdose of that. However, after seeing the movie, I conclude they were all brawn with no brain! (evident from the recent riots)

Deepika Padukone: She was the perfect fit for this role as according to me she is one of the most beautiful actresses we have today. What offended me the most here was she looked more like a Tanishq jewelry mannequin rather than the famed beauty queen. She would have looked way grander if they had made use of her natural beauty. What also offended me was when they had to cover up her midriff in the ghoomar song with CGI laden clothes! Height of offensiveness! The protesting Rajc**ts should have seen the Rani Padmini of Amar Chitra Katha! She is way more sensually portrayed than anything we saw on the screen. (These days we are just one step away from being Taliban!)

Ranveer Singh: How can anyone have so much fun on the screen! He just owns the movie, In fact this movie should have been called Khilji rather than Padmaavati (yeah I know ‘I’ isn’t there). This guy has done such a brilliant job that its hard to find adjectives. The way he has used his eyes is just superb, there is total menace and madness. I think Ranveer is probably the only Bollywood actor who could come close to Heath Ledger’s iconic Joker, that coming from me is the ultimate compliment to him.

Shahid Kapoor: Another explosive talent wasted in the movie. They could have made a CGI Ratan Singh instead of Shahid and it would not have made any difference. He does not even look interested in Deepika (my WTF moment), no chemistry present in the lead pair whatsoever!

Action Sequences: I read in one of the reviews that the action sequences were excellent. I beg to differ, after seeing such high quality action scenes showcased in GoT, Vikings, LoTR and Mr. Bhansali’s last production Bajirao Mastani, this was a damp squib. It felt as if the director was just not interested in this aspect of the movie. The CGI used looks pedestrian. Even the final fight sequence between Khilji and Rana seemed inspired from the one in Troy between Achillies and Hector. Come on Bollywood, we can surely do way better!

Climax: At the start of the movie they have a disclaimer which says that the film makers do not promote or support the practice of Sati or Jauhar. But the time and effort spent on the last scene makes you think otherwise. I understand the use of excessive drama in a particular situation but this scene seems endless. I found the scene of Khalisi sitting in the pyre with Khal Drogo from GoT far more engaging and real than what was shown in this movie. (See the GoT scene here – https://vimeo.com/25336144)

The film making: There was just too much attention paid to the opulence of the sets. The scenes seemed to just move from one sequence to another and the actors (other than Ranveer & Jimmy Sarabh) just kept mouthing their lines. When Hector dies in Troy I felt really sad. In this case it was – Thank god Shahid died! Move on Deepika! Jump in the CGI fire and release us! There was just no connect to any of the characters, nor were there any impact worthy scenes or dialogues you would remember. Most of the movie is extremely cliched!

Ticket Prices: At over INR 600+ per ticket for a 3D show it was not worth risking your life. I managed to see the movie thanks to the generosity of my good friend VB who thought of me when one of her friends from her brave entourage chickened out and I was invited to fill up the expensive vacant spot!

In conclusion, as they say “Empty vessels make the most noise” is totally apt for this movie as well as all that went around it.

I would give this movie a rating of 2.5/5 with the .5 being only for Ranveer Singh!

Do let me know what offended you about this movie and share in the comments section below!

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]]>https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/padma-what/feed/0PadmavaatnishbhagatackranveerMy first world problemhttps://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/10/02/my-first-world-problem/
https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/10/02/my-first-world-problem/#respondMon, 02 Oct 2017 07:56:39 +0000http://thefirstray.wordpress.com/?p=1401Don’t we all have first world problems in our lives? I feel we prefer them to the actual world problems as we can at least solve most of the first world ones. I am faced with one such problem and I don’t know how writing a blog will help solve it but then, who wrote to solve problems anyways!

People who know me or are close to me know that I am a voracious reader and my Kindle always travels with me wherever I go. People who know me even better, know that the other thing I can’t do without is my music! It is very very important to me. Every memory in my life has a playlist to go with it, be it from my days of listening to English pop to Hard/ Metal Rock to Bollywood to most recently World music.

My Kindle dispensed words while my iPod classic dispensed my music. When I adopted this beautiful device some 6 years ago, (very late bloomer, could never afford this one till it was gifted to me) the way I consumed my music changed completely. This product itself was revolutionary and changed the music industry forever by changing the way people consumed music. The software to manage your music, iTunes was one of the best every made then. iTunes and I were made for each other. To get the maximum out of your iPod you needed to organize your music correctly, not just dump all music in it. Indexing and organizing comes naturally to me and there I started the project of organizing all my music the way it should be! Slowly I started buying music from there rather than pirating it. iPod Genius spoiled me further by making playlists based on what I heard most and dished out songs which even I did not know existed in my collection! It was love at first sound

But like all good things come to an end, my iPod classic too reached its end of life cycle, quite abruptly I must say. What did not help matters was Apple Inc.’s decision to discontinue the iPod Classic since most of their customers were streaming music instead of buying it. I don’t buy that argument, there are still a whole lot of people who still like to buy their music and have control over their own playlists but we seem to be a minority.

So this is my problem now! What next? What do I do with the 120GB+ music I own? Thanks to the change in the consumption pattern of the industry there isn’t much choice left in the Digital Audio Player (DAP) category. Apple did what it always does, kill the competition with the near perfect product and then change the industry consumption pattern. This is where the love turns to hate! But more on that some other time.

Here are the alternatives which I am being presented by people who I know:

Just buy the new iPhone man, it has everything – my counter is that a) I cannot afford the new iphone b) I don’t want mymusic experience hampered with notifications and calls!

Chill man, Just buy the iPod touch – Again spending INR 22k+ on a product category which Apple may not support in the future? Not sure

Stream your music, everything is available online – NO! again this means using your primary phone for this – does not work

Convert an old smartphone to a DAP – Don’t have an old phone. Considered looking at smartphones with good music capabilities built it, but all are in the INR 20k+ range – plus I need atleast a space of 128GB min so SD card costs INR 3k+

Look at alternatives – Sony is there but the player costs INR 18k+ as I need to bump up its memory. The other option is a company called FiiO which is not too known. None of these have very encouraging reviews

So there you see, please help me solve my first world problem here! Which is the best alternative available to me here? Please share your views in the comments section below!

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]]>https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/10/02/my-first-world-problem/feed/0iPodnishbhagatiPodOutside view on the Inside Edgehttps://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/08/03/outside-view-on-the-inside-edge/
https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/08/03/outside-view-on-the-inside-edge/#respondThu, 03 Aug 2017 05:45:20 +0000http://thefirstray.wordpress.com/?p=1249Inside Edge is an Amazon Original made for their most exciting market – India. Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s powerful production house, Excel Entertainment, this series has everything going for it. India, the cricket crazed country has the world’s richest T20 league, the Indian Premier League (IPL). The IPL has the perfect mix of cricket, glitz and glamour which has enthralled the world in general and India in particular and this is exactly the sweet spot ‘Inside Edge’ hits.

My personal rating for this entire Season 1 (10 episodes) is 3 stars out of 5. Yes, it is an average rating, still this series has a lot going for it (got 3 stars after all!) but there was a lot it could have been (now you know where it lost the other 2 stars!).

About the Tournament

I have already stated that we are one cricket crazy nation (yes, I am one of the fanatics) and so the plot was perfect for a maiden series. I loved the title because in cricket an Inside edge is a double edged sword. It saves you in case there is an LBW appeal against you but can also be your downfall if instead of the pad, the ball crashes in to the stumps. Sometimes the inside edge can bring you lucky runs and sometimes when the luck is against you, get you out too! The association of this phenomenon with that of the rampant spot fixing in cricket in general and T20 leagues in particular is indeed well done.

The Playing XI

It does have a good star cast with proven actors like Richa Chadha, Vivek Oberoi and Sanjay Suri among the old names. New and upcoming actors like Angad Bedi, Tanuj Virwani, Sara Jane Dias etc add to the freshness to the cast. Must say that the casting director has done a very good job.

All the actors have put in a good and convincing performance especially Richa (forget her wardrobe, it was horrible! and that is being polite). There will be comparisons of her character with that of Preity Zinta in real life but if you see the series you will realise that the makers have ensured there isn’t much common there.

Vivek Oberoi’s character also seems to be modeled on Vijay Mallya as he is called Vikrant and the V is displayed most of the time in the background shots. Again, if you watch the series, there is nothing Mallya like in Vikrant’s character. He is a typical one dimensional Bollywood bad guy. Wish his role had more layers than that. Even with this limitation Vivek manages to give glimpses of why he had almost ruled Bollywood at a point in time only to be relegated to being a “bad boy” these days (calling out the ‘bad boy’ in real life just does not pay in the long run..does it?).

Angad Bedi looks a very convincing captain and good guy, so does Sanjay Suri as Mr Coach and ex-player who has dabbled with spot fixing in his playing days. For me Tanuj Virwani stole the show. He was brilliant playing the role of Vayu, the talented star who gives a damn hang about anyone on the outside. However he is still compassionate about people close to him especially his sister, ex-girlfriend and the budding fast bowler. Tanuj carries of this role so well that you actually start rooting for him towards the end (Trivia: He is the son of yesteryear’s leading lady Rati Agnihotri)

Predictable Powerplays

The first episode of the series had started well but then it slipped into too many cliches. While I don’t say that cricket is a ‘pure’ game, I find it a little difficult to believe that someone can snort cocaine and then go ahead and play a full game. The bit about casteism seemed force fitted too.

A lot has been written about spot fixing in cricket, the focus here is on the play the owner of ‘Mumbai Mavericks’ makes to earn more money. If this is so rampant then I wonder why the makers have concentrated on only one team? What if the other team’s owner was also playing his own fixing game? My guess is that this would have complicated this series a lot more for the makers to manage. I still feel that this gives a wrong impression that only one team in the entire tournament is compromised, which is never true.

Seems like the makers took everything that is rotten in the game, put it in a box and magnified (read as fictionalised) it. I wish some attention had been paid to the ground realities of the game too rather than making it so overtly dramatized. However, the scenes where cricket is played are quite authentically shot

The build up towards the final episode of the season is good but what brings it down is its eventual predictability! The climax particularly felt hurried and weak

Match Summary

So all in all there isn’t anything memorable about this series but it is surely a step in the right direction as far as original Indian content is concerned and a welcome break from all the ‘saas-bahu’ and socially regressive dramas playing on national TV. The production of the series is good and up to international standard.

I sincerely hope that Season 2 will have much better strokes which are pleasing to the eyes rather than inside edges!

At the usual ‘chai’ time in the office cafeteria, the bratty bunch got to ‘gossiping’ about Bollywood: the controversies, link ups, who is cheating on whom blah blah blah! The topic of discussion was the genealogy of SRK’s son Abram and it ended at the yesteryear heart throb Dimple Kapadia. I committed this ultimate sin by uttering the words “Duh, really, I didn’t know this”. The looks I got ranged from “Were you born yesterday?” to “Do you live on an island bro?”. To make matters worse, they know about my connection to Bollywood. In that light my ignorance was sacrilege!

My maternal grandfather used to work in Roopkala Pictures as a production manager and he later produced a film called Ek Hasina Do Diwane in 1972 under his own banner RG films. The film bombed and I don’t think he went back to working in the industry again. All this was some years before I was born. I had a very formal relationship with my maternal grandfather. He used to visit home often to meet us, but I never really got to discussing movies or hearing his stories. My exposure to Bollywood was limited to the stories I heard from my mother and looking at the photographs of my parents’ wedding that was graced by stars like Shashi Kapoor and Jitendra.

In the pre-internet days, the source of movie gossip was always film magazines. Every month a close family friend used to get a bunch of these from his office library for my mom and uncle. I was usually the last one to get a quick sneak peek at these. (The likes of ‘Debonair’ were out of reach…but not for long!) As I grew up, reading about Bollywood was considered ‘uncool’ and I moved away from it, though my love for movie watching has stayed with me all along.

Thanks to the social media boom now, film gossip is omnipresent. News like what the stars are wearing to the airport are trending these days and their twitter feeds are news themselves! However, I find myself reluctant to follow every bit of this so called ‘news’. Although so much is written and spoken about these people, we still want to know more. If it is a plain serious book about an actor or actress’s life it will not hold the regular reader’s interest. What sells is gossip, news that needs to be consumed and probably forgotten.

So how am I tackling my lack of Bollywood Quotient (BQ)? Surely not by reading film magazines or gossip blogs, but by reading the books by and on film personalities or movies. Earlier, I had read the book about making of the classic movie ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ by Jai Arjun Singh. It was a fascinating book, about what went into making this movie. The scenes you thought were the best in the movie actually turn out to be accidentally shot or improvised on due to non availability of resources! Did you know that this technically was Anupam Kher’s first movie and not Saransh! This movie was funded by NFDC and they had strict guidelines on the length of the film. Mr Kher’s part added few mins extra to the prescribed length and hence he had to be edited out! The book is peppered with such anecdotes. Subjects like these have really caught my interest as to what went behind the scenes while making moves

Recently, I read Rishi Kapoor’s autobiography, and this has piqued my interest in knowing more about the lives of stars too. How to they handle all this adulation? What do they go through when people gossip about them? I felt Mr Kapoor was quite guarded in this book about a lot of things. However, it was a good glimpse into the life of the ‘son of a famous father and father to a famous son!’

I have already started building up my ‘to read’ queue in this genre. If you have a ready list then do share in the comments section! The more the merrier!

]]>https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/upgrading-my-bq/feed/0bollywoodnishbhagatbollywoodek_hasina_do_diwaneDearest Dadhttps://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/06/18/dearest-dad/
https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/06/18/dearest-dad/#commentsSun, 18 Jun 2017 08:15:22 +0000http://thefirstray.wordpress.com/?p=1226It’s quite ironical that today on Father’s day I sat down to write a few words about dad. While doing the research I came across a letter which I had written to him a couple of years ago and there it was. I don’t think any more words were required to complete this. Yes, It is a personal letter but it is still relevant to any father child relationship, as I feel the core issues always remain the same.

Since the day this letter was written my life took a turn for the worse and sent some very hard lessons across my way. My father has stood by me all along like a rock. Guess I had surely done some good karma in my past life to get to choose him as a father in this life. So here is what I had written

Dear Dad,

I don’t think I have yet overcome the block in my head to express what I really feel for you in person and have hence chosen the option which I am better at in this context i.e. writing.

I have always been an open critic of yours since the teenage years when I saw my ‘business empire’ bubble burst when we hit a financial crises. But today as I am older and a father myself, I understand you better as a father and as a human being. Research states that the way we grow up and all related issues deal with the way our relationships have been with the father. While I was busy learning and experiencing this aspect, I will turn seven as a father this year. This letter of course is not about my reflections on fatherhood but it is my acknowledgement of you as a good father.

You have raised me on two very strong foundations which are my pillars of strength till date as I face the challenges of life. They are the love for music and understanding the importance of being spiritual.

By playing the lovely sitar strings, which as a child and teenager I never appreciated, somewhere sub-consciously they made a place in my heart. As a rebel I took to listening to Rock music but I never understood that the underlying love of guitar strings had its foundation in the lovely sitar strings which you always played. I was too shy or call it egoistic to ever appreciate that quality of yours. But I do now. Thank you for that. Appreciation of music of all kinds does make my world go around

They say that if you play a musical instrument with love then in that moment you are closest to god. I guess you derived the appreciation of the cosmic space from this. Again, an area of my critique where I always told you not to throw philosophy at me. While I tried to block your sensible words, each one of them seeded themselves somewhere in my head and heart. The presence of saints at The Nest and your appreciation of the divine has helped me understand myself and my surroundings better. It has taken me a while to get there but then the journey is always the most important part. You started me on that journey of discovery and I can never thank you enough for that. May be it was the destiny of this soul to be your son and learn how life needs to be viewed and lived.

I don’t know what the future holds for us. But always remember that you have been great as a father to me and have done the best you could. No poisonous words from my mouth can ever replace these words written from the heart. If you think they ever do then please read this letter again.

Luv

Nishant

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]]>https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/06/18/dearest-dad/feed/1nishbhagatFade to blackhttps://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/05/10/fade-to-black/
https://thefirstray.wordpress.com/2017/05/10/fade-to-black/#respondWed, 10 May 2017 12:20:27 +0000http://thefirstray.wordpress.com/?p=1039“Sir, see the view from this side, you can see the airport”. said the property agent. I was hardly looking in that direction. My eyes were fixed right on the ground, 5 stories below. These are the small moments in your life where a brain fade could mean a difference between life and death. Yes, I was toeing that line for quite a while (maybe I still am). In those days, every time I stood on a high rise, something within me screamed – Jump now and end it all! All this pain and hurt is not worth living for! The voice is eventually fading thanks to my family and friends who speak to me daily and check on me.

Since the last couple of months, everyday there is at least one story on suicide in the newspapers. People killing themselves along with their families seems like a growing epidemic in the entire country. To make matters worse there have been some who have broadcasted this deed live on social media! The recent one being the 35 year old producer Atul Tapkir who put up a post blaming his spouse before ending his life.

India holds the dubious record of having the highest number of suicides globally in 2015, the farmer suicides in the villages was a big contributor to this. The government as well as the NGOs are doing what they can, but we need a lot more than that. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report titled ‘Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders — Global Health Estimates’ in 2015, around 5 crore Indians suffering from depression and it is one of the leading causes of suicidal deaths globally.

Recently the Indian parliament decriminalized suicide in the Mental Health Bill. Finally common sense prevails, it is horrible enough that the person feels its not worth living his/her life and then to get prosecuted for failing to take one’s life was ridiculous!

So, the question still remains, does suicide really set you free? Our scriptures say that unless and until karma has its say, you cannot escape it. So if you end your life for whatever issue vexes you this life, then it will show up in a different form in the next (maybe in a worse form). But what about now? None have seen what will happen post this life, its too difficult for an average human brain to imagine a world beyond what you see and feel. If that itself is looking horrid at the moment then where is the question of even thinking about after life? When you don’t know how to swim and you are drowning with not much help in sight. You are moving your arms and legs to stay afloat, you scream but no one hears. If some do hear, then how would it feel if they screamed, “Stop getting scared!” and start giving you a lesson on how to swim! Yes, this is exactly how people react. Nobody jumps into save the person and that is where you think this struggle is just not worth it. Let me just sink and get over with.

People say suicide is a sign of weakness. I say when you are drowning or standing on the edge of a cliff thinking about jumping or going down, it is the scariest thing to do. This is not a debate about bravery or cowardice, its about choosing life or death. I really don’t have any concluding argument here. For me it is each one on to their own. At the end of the day it is your life and you decide whether it is going to be your only one or next one will be better.

As of now I have decided to let my karma play its part, while I keep the cheat sheet in my back pocket.